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aid to. LETTERS FROM SOLDIERS From Lt.-Gol. NIacLaren A letter from Lt.-Col. D. H. MacLarn written "sonlewhere in France on New Yea1" s Day to his son, had"the f0ll0wing:--- - n their -..-v ~___, I am `in the front trenches of the Canadian firing line some- wherein France, and the towns and villages around us on every side are among those that you have read about in the papers daily for the past six months. (At present I am in the dugout writing this. I go out again in an hour or two.) 1 am going.to "try hard to snipe" a German or two this week. As the mud is so erce here, they sometimes leave communication trenches and move back singly on the op- en ground. \Ve moved up from the support trenches to the r- ing trenches a couple of days ago. We will be here for a week lonlger, `and everything is very wet and uncomfortable. The mud and w ater,in the trenches in many places is nearly up to our waists. I have long rubber boots up to the waist and they "were down in the mud to the to_ps often, and it is all one can do to draw one's legs out of this great depth of thick, sticky mud. In our immediate rear all day a_ big gun--l8 pounder or larger- goes off about two shots per 1ninute-a continual booming. One can hear the great shells whizzing by, but these shells-are front lines are in fearful shape fl with mud and water, which malt- 3 es. life very uncomfortable for the men--everybody, in fact, for there is" v_ery little` difference be- tween officers and men at the I. front of the front. ' There are quite a number of men from the County of Simcoe in this batta- lion, but they came over long he- I. fore the 157th Bu. was organiz_ ed. ' . When I joined this battalion here, 1 was delighted the first. night when I arrived and opened a the door of the dugout .(after 3 going down. into the ground 3-! I", steps) to see the Golonelan old `J friend, and lvlajor D. Carmichael 1, and Lieut. H. Rose from Cell. ingwood are old -friends _and 35th IV a. to nd Lt. I-Iarry Stratliy, an Old "Barrie. boy. 1 was at home at once and got a hea.rty reception and they haye all made me very comfortable. well as the above. Major (3%. ii. (teary, ex-Mayor of Toronto, and I were sent/to this battalion. came together, and he knew many of the officers. W'ork goes. on for the hours and it is very strenuous, but after a spell 2 -"1 ' newerfers, or minnies, as our `Regt. officers at home. and also in the front line the troops go back i into` support or. reserve trenches as their turn may be. _After a tour of so many weeks will the trenches they are sent back fora rest some miles` in rear for perhaps amonth. Harry Strathy is doing splen-< nearly all going FROM ourside.| Last night in one of our trench- -es the mud and water was pretty deep and I turned on a flash- light,` carefully pointed to the .ground, `only fora h.alf minute, when a rifle bullet whizzed by me and a rifle report sounded in _ _ . my rear. .The most wonderful dld "1`k- h91 9- H9 13 afrald Of. thing` in this ;war is the number nothing-e Last night he Came t0 of bull ts that do not hit you. 'heI"e I Was` at '2 3.-mu iC0VY`0d mg out their rapid pain. of reihis feet, every atom of his e1'ot_h._.' after a night has an uncanny'i11gs_f309v etc-+ mud- sound and effect, but you don't These big guns shake the pay any attention to the arm. whole earth when they go off. lery. The trench mortars, min- You get quickly toknow the size of the projectile by the sound, men call" them, are nasty girls.'and once youhear a minnewer- They throw only a short dis- fer, you know to look out for it, tance. from the German trench- as they have an uncomfortable es over into our lines, and blowjway of dropping in to make an men and thingsto pieces, buttunwelcome eall---righl ' _ we can return the -compliment.il1'9T10h beside .V011- TheI'e.iS I10 I found I knew ..a couple more of the ollicers as Thursay, January, 25, -1911 - _'A stfongly dramatic child chalractet-ization; in 6 parts, , ' in which she is supported by a strong cast; T _ Grand Opera House Friday-Saturday, Jan. 26-27 WAR Snvmes CERTIFIAGATES Mary Milgs Minter Prices asusual :* 6 and 11; c. JAN. 9. I917 AT TH E` FRONT. BUY nommlon or cnnnnn A BEAUTIFUL PICTURE, DON'T Miss IT. FOR FULL PARTICULARS A P.PLYTA'.'l' ANY BANK on ANY MONEY ORDER POST OFFICE _THE CHARMING PHOTO PLAY STAR MAKE voun DOLLARS INDIVIDUAL PURCHA8 LIMITEU TO SING. $ 25.00 FOR $21.50 :nL'; S0 5o;ooT`-` '%43%.oo 1oo.oo % 86.00 FIGHT fans:-van .,. ac F'INAu_uoI: ,DIPAR'l'M tn-r O-r-rAwA with our Stokes gun which can shoot a similar charge mid an- gle of destr-u'cti0 n at about 30 shells per minute. It is a won; .dc1'ful {_trench weapon. These 1'ea1'fu.l shape unc_omf01`table men--everybody, in ,_.-.___ IJLLI... ..I:l`4',...nn,-..-. kn When . I steps) friend; t 2- : After . aAmonth._ I ` `doing Splen; work here. is wllette `with mud, thick from his.hai1` to .!his lling, face, 1 1 . 11-- eir my 106 in- 'I`i6 H16 1213 I1(l eafl em, `snow or -frost here, only mud and 1 rain, `and .I did not think such quantities, and such, varied .con-. sistencies of mud could be found in one` area. -No words could picture the mud or the manner diers who have to wade through 1 1 1 in which it pictures up the _sol- 1 m_ud and water nearly to their 1 waists, and, only their short boots and puttees them, for which they are useless. ities of getting dry and must oicers are little better. As I write `I am wet through `> and chilled with the cold, but when everyone else is in like condi- tion, therevis no growling. In spite of all this wet and mud and discomfort, everyone is cheerful here. and goes on with the work as if conditions were Inost fav- orable. Do you know, that. here where the greatest danger is, no one seems to have any fear. never think any more about it than to keep your head down in \Ve' go into the dangerous zone and `the necessary places. The Ger-1 `mans yesterday put up a sign in their. front line which isr only a few yards from ours,.We want Peace, The general opinion here is that the whole German nation wants peace badly, but not the peace the Allies will give. VTVL H. -.......,.t-. :... LI...-. 1 1 to protect 1 These`1nen ha\'e few opportun- 1 endure this for a week, and the ` 1l.Lll.- LIIU lJlJ(.lb\.r tlxu J.I..lll\JQ vv znn 5;:-. `There is such variety in the life out here that it is quite, in-_ teresting,~ and there being so many things to do- the time passes very rapidly. ' V'I'\l-.\-.... ;J.-p-.A..`,-. t'\CII\ nf vvsn-rutr lII.AnuI.~u vunuv a.\.a!.a.n~,-...- These dugouts are of many` `kinds and qualities`, from a Sim- ~ple. hole dug into the side of the . trenelrwhere a man or two can lie or. at most, sit in, to a veri- A table small house of kitchen, rl.ining-roem and two or three "t-iny bedrooms 6 feet square. To get into theseyou frequently shave to go down`steps-of 25 or 30 `feet. The-upper soil has on- lye as foot or so of loamy soil and underneath is vchalk in seamy formation, through which the rain and wet? lters until the dugouts leak like a sieve and it is impossible to nd_~.a dry spot. They are infestedlby mice and rats.` `I `turned into my single blanket (Jaegar) about 2.15 a.m. last night or this morning and `was asleep in a minute. I was awakened later in the night by a couple of rats having a very spiritnd racing contest around my head and body_; over and` over me they ,i111nped and my kicks sear:-,ely,inade them pause in. lheir wild_caI'eer. e n 1 . lll\`lI. In 1:11 \..nnLu .I have just come in from an- Otht -1' tour of dul,y,.anr.1 the mud is. awful_. after walking` two mil- es i..hroug'l1 the trenches, nflen up to the knees in thick mud cine lc-53:1 SGEl.['C(`l_V lift his legs. ' x1V.aL:,, _ ___:I._ ._-... 11.... .....`.`r. I\`\ L'l.!I1 u.)\/u.1uu n_y anau. a;;u .Vc-_r. Witliina mile are the 1-uinsofi a large town, once containing perliaps 2000 people. Now not a hollse is standing, churches and every building". blown; down and rlestroyed by the Huns. K,..rl .0 . _ -_..1I.._- A--.` ,. I\`1I'I rvu-|`r\r\ <,cu-.ru- xx`; 1./~_: Av`, y.-`, --....--..,. ` Yeste1'd ay` one of our guns caught about 125 Germans on a. mad. whic1'1 "they. took because their `lt"enc.l1es were so full of mud in} water, and a well plac- ed hiC.1 explosive shell put the whole `outt out. of business. ._ .1 l \\'l1\ll`.I LILILIIU `\JLlL' U4 nJ\.su;n;u./u- There are several Barrie and Orillia boys in the machine gun section of this brigade and their oicer is `from Gollingwood. I am going around to see these lads next] Week if I get. time. They are hrigaded and not with our battalion. I am running a- cross Simcoe County men every day. They, officers and men, have all made good wherever they have been placed. Their senior ofcers have only good words t.o say about them. Smoking concerts The Orillia Packet," it need hardly be said, has awarm side for the soldiers--none warmer. At the same time this page is constrained to -say that," in its op- inion, t._he ladies of Orillia are doing the men in khaki a doubt- ful service by entertaining them at smoking concerts and the like. He is a mighty poor spec- imen.,of a man who-cannot at- tend a concert of the ordinary length witho1:tt.r_esort to a pipe or cigarette. More than that, he is a man somewhat outof the common whose `respect-for wo- man or womankind, individually or co`l1ecti"'vely, will be raised by such indulgent latitude. Even. the most "determined foe to to.- bacco is not likely to object to the cigarette in the trenches, if ...[!`......J,-. AA...-.1`.-... t\v\IJ nnlnnn vnxu `.1-IlAaL\JlJU\J Ill. u;:v u-v -----v~, -- it affords" comfort and solace under conditions the most trying im`agin.'able.A But we need not al- together tdeify tobacco at home, -nor use it as a medium to teach young men to forget What. is due to others, or to `train them in habits of selshness `and want of consideration.4-Packet. -The Simcoe County Feather Go. of Orillia are making the ten roll feather mattress and the beautiful down cohiforters from your old feather beds. They also buy old or. .new;feathers. Agent will call. Phone 634, Bar. Pies ' ` - 1 , 1ft`- `rue squat: sxnmuuanjun sarunnnv IIORHIIIG : 1` EN W)MANS BALM Red Cross Notes The regular monthly packing was as follows: 466 pairs socks, 450 suits pyjamas, 76 grey flan- nel shirts, 1 muffler, 19 hot wa- ter bottle covers,` 40 pairs slip- pers, 20 doz. mouth wipes, 75 hospital shirts, 9 quilts, 18 hos. pital suits, 4 ties, 3- ; property bags, 12 kit bags, 4 bath towels, 2 pillow slips, 1 package old.cot- ton, 26 pillows. t"1,._..L...'l....4;n-.n tn nnnlrinm hv V Mary's .(Mrs. Devlin) ---78 pyja- LUU, /.rU p1u.UVv 0. Contributions to packing by auxiliaries: Collier St.--19 hot water bottle covers, 2 pairs slip- pers, 3greyannelshirts, 37 py- jama suits, 34 pairs socks. Miss Booth s Class--l9 pairs socks. St. Andrew's---52 pyjama suits, 19 pairs socks. St. 'Andrew s Military Hospital Cluh--7 Coin- fort bags, 14 property bags. Trinity Church-'-7 pyjama suits, 10 hospital shirts, 2 grey flan- nel shirts, "'16 pairs socks. Trin_ ity g-ir1s-2 pyjama suits, 12 handkerchiefs, 6 comfort bags,` 4 ties, 1 hospital shirt, 20 pairs; socks, i bundle old cotton. Al- lan.dale churches--15 grey an-. nel shirts, 28 pyjama suits, 12} hospital shirts, 3 quilts, old lin- en, _49 pairs socks. Baptist= Church~-16 pairs socks. St. : ma `suits, 9 hospital shirts, 12, ' handkerchiefs, ,1 pair slippers, ii ' quilt, donation for wool, $4.00. 44 pairs socks. ' Church-7 pairs 2 feather pillows, cashs Ladies of St.Mary s---Cash $7.50 Congregational : socks. Scott:-`30 pairs socks. Soldiers" Aid-3 pairs slippers, 8 proper-; ty bags, 12 kit. bags, 14' pairs` socks. socks-. ,Dalston---12j pyjama] suits, 14 pairs socks. Young Girls Red Cross Circle donated 4 bath towels. Essa and Innis- fil. Town Line donated 6 pyjama suits, in quilt, and returned 28 pairs socks. K-nock donated 1 quilt, 13 pillows, 9 suits pyja- mas, l7 hospita.l shirts, and re- turned lli pairs socks. Guthrie '-'l.7 suits pyjamas, 6,gre y flan- nel shirts, 8 property bags. Ivy ,---7 suits pyjamas, 6 hospital shirts, 3'grey annel shirts. 4 pairs socks. ,Stroud--10 pyja- ma suits (Miss'fBrewster), In hospital suits, 6 pyjama suits, ii _1 Young . Barrie Col1egiate--!i pr,-s. t P C V i ( l V ( e l 1 I 1 Miss ', V 2 grey iflannel shirts (Mrs._ .R.. Thompson) . Oro Station--10 E. suits pyja1nas,__3,grey_ annel shirts, 7 pairs socks. Midhurst -8 pyjama suits,v6 grey flannel shirts, 7 pairs socks. Minesing -1l hospital suits, 3 grey an- nel shirts, 8 suits pyjamas, 16 pairs socks, and donated 1 pil- law and 2 pillow cases. Shanty` Bay-24 pyjama suits, '1 hospit- al` shirt. Ut0pia--'l2 pyjama suits, 5 grey flannel shirts, '16 pairs socks. C'l0wes---12 pyjama suits. Grenfel Khaki Circ1e--23 pyjama suits, 1 baiidage, 140 mouth wipes, 29 pairs socks. H Barrie Branch has a large I stock of both sewing and wool (for socks to give to all willing Iiworkers for the Red Cross. i'These may- be obtained on ap- 'p`1icatio11 to the bookkeeper. It i is hoped that our workers in the ; rural diswicts will take notice of this.. The regular meeting of Barrie Branch will be held on Jan. 29, at. 4 pm. V Trinity Church had charge of! the Shop on Saturday, Jan. 20. Net receipts, $50.75. On Satur- day, Jan. 27, St. Mary s Church. Willvh3.V'0 charge and the follow-` ing Saturday, St. Andrew s Church. ru -.n :u- 1 I 1111-, mg, 1,0!` ett. of \lA\AL pun. Shop Committee .this week--' Mrs. Little, Mrs. MacLaren. Next Iweek--Miss Lawrence, Mrs. A.` I i Carson. re A `I 1' A (\ . _ \.4IvIl- uvug. Donations, Saturday, Jan. 20. .-Grenfel Khaki Circle--`%. doz. Teggs, $4. pint honey, -1 qt. goose- berry jam, cash $1.00. Utopia, =.5th 1ine-~l lb. butter, cash $3. Knock-Cash $1.50. 9th line, ,Innisl-% doz. ggs. Thorn- ;t0n--3` lbs. butter, spare ribs. t The ladies of St. Mary s winl iserve hot pancakes on Saturday afternoon in. addition to the us- ual afternoon tea. Thornton Sewing circle " The Circle wishes to gratefully acknowledge a donation of $15 from Rev. T. J. Dew and his St. Jude s congregation. These gen- erous donations are most en- couraging to the Circle in their patriotic w ork. .1u ..'-- ..-- ..-...........t n....1. -11 ..1,... J yutvn suuxu "U513: 1 "May we suggest that all don- ations for the Circle be handed to the Secretary, Miss -Edith Blaclgstock, This will avoid confusion at the end of the year. Last year a great many dona- tions. were given to the Women s' `Institute, and they in turn gave them to the Circle in bulk a- mounts. In the yr,-a1'l_v report 'the Circle acknowleclged these hulk amounts` but was unable to mention some very worthy in- dividual donations. We trust. lsome names from the report. this will explain the absence of Mrs,'(jeo. Hill has opened her sewing rooms Tuesday and Fri- day afternoons. This will give all our ladies a chance to help._e as algreat many are unable to get out on Monday evenings and some nd it. hard to sew at night. We were pleased to see so many out on Friday afternoon. A great deal of work was accom- plished and we will soon be able to send more well-lled pales to the boys in the trenches. F. M. HENRY, V Press Correspondent. | Did you ever think that some of our boys ghting for us in. from home and are doing with- `out real necessities? France are not getting pat-cvls I The Soldiers Aid request the pleasure of your company on Tuesday afternoon, Jan. 30, be... tween the hours of three and six, at the home of Mrs. Leslie, cur- ner Bayeld and \Vel1ing'ton S=s., at a Tea and Comfort Bag` sllmv- K/A The following is a list ml` :12`. ticles needed In complete the number of Comfort Bags this {Society has made and is Imiliing. The call for these is much great,- er than the supply. W0n t,__\-nu help to brighten long, wmry hours by coming. and ' l')I`lll,1."?Il;' any of these`? Small hand lmvel, wash cloth, loilct soap, tooth brush, small brush and r-mnh, razor, handkerchicfs,-hoot l:.<-es, writing pad, pencil,-tobacco. pip- es, ciga1'ett,es, chocolate, S1wElI`- mint, playing cards, puzzle, wax candles or money \VlU1 Whi('ll to purchase these at-ticles. W. A. Lowe & Son have added` a new branch to their furniture business; that .1 of upholstc-ring. Mr. W. Noland, who conducted a repair shop * at Charlotte and Berczy Sts., will look after the upholstering work. -v3/_tf I P-loaned. `Altered and "Repaired." ms: ll. uloxsnlun [ ` 58 small BL, Bat-I'lo._ comforts for Boys Overseas FURS! Page Throo eir ell